Florida Betony

What it looks like

Look for square stems and white or pink flowers in spring. The real giveaway is underground: a white, segmented tuber that looks just like a rattlesnake rattle. It spreads aggressively through underground rhizomes, making it tough to contain.

When it shows up in the Triangle

Most visible and actively growing from fall through spring. It dies back in the heat of summer, so summer is not the time to deal with it. It's been spreading further into the Piedmont in recent years.

Where you’ll see it

Shows up in home lawns and landscape beds throughout the Triangle.

What you can do

• Keep your lawn thick and dense to slow the spread
• Hand-digging can work on small, new patches but isn't realistic once it's established
• Understand this is a genuinely difficult weed to control on your own
• Focus on prevention and thick turf rather than trying to eliminate an established colony yourself